William s



(No Model.)

y W. S. GRAY.

AUTOMATIC VALVE. No. 424,974. PatentedApr. 8, 1890.

qwitwaooao k 61 3140044 oz r @514 attozn a1 UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

IVILLIAM S. GRAY, OF NEWV YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO LEW'IS H. NEIVTON AND ANTONIO RASINES, OF SAME PLACE.

AUTOMATIC VALVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 424,974, dated April 8, 18 90.

Application filed July 30, 1889. Serial No. 319,190. (No model.)

T all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, lVILLlAM S. GRAY, of

the city of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic Valves for Supplying Automatic Fire-Extinguishing Apparatus with ater, which invent-ion or improvement is fully set forth and illustrated in the following specification and accompany- IO ing drawings.

The object of this invention is to provide that class of fire extinguishing apparatus used to automatically extinguish fire with an automatic valve and dependencies which shall be both sensitive and quick in action, and which will permit of the apparatus being quickly and readily converted from what is known as the dry-pipe system into the wet-pipe system, and vice versa.

The invention will first be described in detail, and then particularly set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 illustrates, partly in section, a valve and its 2 dependencies in elevation. Fig. 2 illustrates, partly in section, an elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1, looking to the left. Fig. 3 illustrates a modified detail hereinafter fully described.

0 In said figures the several parts are inclicated by numbers and letters as follows:

The number 1 indicates aframe secured to or forming part of the bonnet or cover 2 of the valve-chamber 3, containing the water- 3 5 valve i, which valve is seated in any suitable manner upon a seat 5, and is provided upon its back with the rubber face 6, so that when wide open said rubber face or back of the valve shall come in close contact with an up- 4 per seat 7, through which the stem 8 of the valve passes, thus preventing any leakage of water around said stem, no stuffing-box for said stem being provided.

In a slot cut in the bore through the cover 2 of the valve-chamber and upper valve-seat 7, and secured to or formed upon the valvestem 8, is a feather or spline 9. This feather acts as a guide in opening and closing the valve 4, so that said valve cannot be turned 5 axially upon its seat.

To the top of the valve-stem 8 is secured by a knife-edge pin 10 the lower end of a bent arm or lever 11, provided with a weight 12, and near said pin, above the same, said arm is pivoted by a similar pin 13 in the jaws 5 5 or fork of a swinging link lat, which link is itself suspended through an upper fork or jaws upon a knife-edge pin 15, secured in the upper part of the frame 1. The swinging link 14 is also provided near its center, for the purpose of adjusting its length, with a turn-buckle 16, and the arm 11 is provided near its lower end with a stop 17, which, when the arm is in its extreme elevation, impinges against a regulating-pin 1S, tapped through a cross piece or brace 19in the frame 1. By adjusting this pin 18 by means of its screwthreads the proper position of the arm 11 and weight 12 is maintained, so that said arm shall always set when elevated somewhat inclined to a vertical line passing through the valve-stem 8.

The regulating-pin 18 is provided with a screw-cap 20 to inclose the same and prevent the pin 18 from being tampered with or thrown out of adjustment without first removing said cap.

In Fig. 3 the stop 17 is omitted, and the adjusting-pin 18 abuts against the top of the lower jaw of the link 14. This modification accomplishes the same result in regulating the angle of the elevation of the arm 11 as is done in Figs. 1 and 2, but without the intervention of the stop-pin 17.

Bolted to the frame 1 is a dished front plate 21, in which is inserted or bedded a diaphragmplate and diaphragm 22 23, said diaphragm being soldered or otherwise hermetically secured at its periphery to said plate, each being circular in shape, leaving an air space or chamber between plate and diaphragm. The diaphragm and its plate 22, as one piece, are retained within the bed of the front plate 21 by the back plate 27 acting as a cover or retaining-plate, which is secured by screws (not shown) through holes h to the front plate 21, so that by removing the back plate the diaphragm and its plate 22 may be taken out of the apparatus as one piece, whose only other connection is the air-pipe 34, hereinafter de- KOO scribed.

To the inner side of the back plate 27 are riveted or otherwise secured two strips of? flexible sheet metal 25 213, preferably brass, to the ends of which strips is soldered or otherwise suitably secured a central brass plate 24:, provided with a catch-pin 9S, sun rounded by a coiled spring 29 within thcbore of the boss 30 of the back plate 27. The resilience of said spring is adjusted by the screw-nut or thimblc e, acting against which nut said spring will always exert a reactive pressure upon the diaphragm 213 through the medium of the center plate it whenever the diaphragm is distended so as to compress the spring 25) through the medium of said interposed center plate.

The 'atch-pin 28 is provided with a shoulder g, which abuts against the flexible bar or strap of flexible metal f, secured by screws or otherwise to thebaek plate 27, the end of said pin passing through a hole in said strap and protruding beyond the same. \Vhen the pin 28 is protruded sufficiently beyond the boss 30, thereby bending the strap f, the outer'end of the pin will enter the hole 0 in the lug 31, secured to the valve-arm 11, which lug is guided so that its hole shall register with said pin by the bracket 32, provided with jaws 233, said bracket being bolted or otherwise socured to a lug on the back plate 27.

I11 the diaphragm-plate 22 is. insert-ed the independent airpipe 34, which is provided with nipples 35, closed by fusible plugs or thilnbles having fusible joints, as is cominonly practiced in automatic fire-extinguishing apparatus. To the pipe 3-1 is connected the pipe 36, each of these pipes being of small bore, and the pipe 36 leading to an air-compression pump of any suitable construction, not necessary to be here shown, as such a pump forms no part of this invention.

The several parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings having been thus fully described in detail, the complete operation of the same as organized into an operative machine will now be described. The valvechamber 3 being connected to a line of watersupply pipes from any suitable source or head, so that the water may press upon the face of the valve 4 upward, as indicated by the arrow (1, and from the side nozzle, (in dicated by the arrow 1),) a line of discharge-pipes being connected to lead over the parts of the building to be protected from. fire, as usual in automatic fire-extinguishing apparatus, and said dischargc-pi 'ies being provided with any usual and suitable sprinkler devices for discharging water when their fusible joints melt, this apparatus will be ready to be set to accomplish its purpose. In order to so set the apparatus, it is only necessary to raise the weighted arm 11 to the positionshown in the several figures of the drawings, when the hole 0 in the lug 31, secured to said arm, will. be brought opposite to the pin 28. The arm ll being held in this position, a few strokes of the air-compression pump will compress air in the pipe 31- throughout its whole length and in the direction of the arrow 0 through the j'iassage (Z in the diaphragm-plate 22 un der the diaphragm E253 and between it and its saidplate 22. The effect of this compression is to distend said diaphragm, and by such distention to push out the center plate 24 and its pin 28 against the pressure of the reactive spring 2!) and forcibly to hold the front end of said pin in the hole 0 in the lug 31. of the valve-arm 11. It is obvious that while the pin 28 is thus forced into the hole 0 the weighted valve-arm 11. must be maintained in the elevated position shown in the several figures ot' the drawings. It is further evident that while said arm is maintained in said position its action in straightening the swinging link 1i from an inclined position before the arm is so elevated into nearly a straight line with the valve-stem S of the valve -t will force said valve from an open position to the closed position, tight in its seat, the movement of the swinging link 14- into line or nearly into line with the valvestem forming with the guided valve-stem S a perfect knee-joint. The apparatus is now ready to automatically discharge water upon an. incipient lire whenever such should break out near enough to the soldered nipples to melt the solder closing them, and also the solder closing the orifices in the usual sprinkler-pi ms, or tllSOllfLl'g'G-PiPOS providedwith sprinklers, which connect in practice with the valve-chamber nozzle at l). \Vhen the solder closing the nipples 35 melts, the compressed air in the independent pipe 34 instantly escapes through one or more of said nipples, which escape relieves the diaphragm 93 of said pressure, whereupon, through the joint actionof the strips 25 26, the spring 29, and the strap f, said diaphragm is pushed back and flattened upon its plate 22. This action withdraws the pin 28 from the hole 0 in the lug 31 of the valve-arm 11 by the reaction of its spring 29. The valve-arm 1]., being thus deprived of its support by the pin 28, under theinfiuence of gravity willimmediately fall to the left toward the horizontal, in doing which it will throw the swinging link 14 into an inclined position and positively wi thdrawand elevate the valve i from its lower seat and bring its back or upper rubber face (3 into close and water-tight contact with the upper seat 7, prevei'iting any water from escapin garound the valve-stem Sout of the valvechamber 3; but as the valve 4 opens the water will rush through the side nozzle at 1) into the sprinkler-pi pes andout throughthe sprinklers upon the fire which had melted the solder, closing said sprinklers at or about the same time that it melted the solder in the nipples 35, secured to the independent air-pipe 34L A weighted arm acting by gravity may be used instead of reactive springs to force back the pin 28, if preferred, the weight in such case being the well-known equivalent of springpowcr. 'lheend of the pin 28 may, it preferred, be beveled like the end of alatch-bolt,

TIC

so that the lug or latch 31, being similarly beveled, will slide past the end of the pin when protruded, forcing it back until the hole 0 in said lug registers with the pin 28, when the pressure on the diaphragm will immediately cause the pin to enter said hole and engage the lug, so as to hold up the weighted valvearm 11. This will permit of first putting sufficient pressure upon the diaphragm by means of the compression-pump, and then by simply raising the valve-arm 11 to its proper height it will automatically latch with the pin 28, and the apparatus will be set ready for its duty.

It is obvious, if sufficient flexibility and spring-power or resilience be given to the dia phragm 23, that upon the escape of the compressed air from the pipe Sat said diaphragms retractive power will withdraw the pin 28 from contact with the lug 31 of the arm ll without the assistance of the spring 29, the pin 28 or its plate 24: in such case being secured to the diaphragm 23, instead of merely abutting against it. It is equally obvious that the flexible strips 25 26 may be omitted, and the spring-bar f be used merely as a guide for the pin 28, or may be omitted, when the coiled spring'29 will be sufficient to push backthe diaphragm. The combination of spring devices shown, however, is deemed a more complete structure and more certain in operation. It will be observed that the pin 28 is entirely devoid of friction with any other part except in the eye 0 of the lug 31 on the arm 11. The weight 12 is adjusted upon the arm 11 by means of a set-screw 8, this being a matter of convenience rather than necessity, for the valve-arm 11 may itself have sufficient weight without the weight 12 to fall by gravity when released by the withdrawal of the pin 28 from contact with the lug 31, the upward pressure of the'water upon the face of the valve 4 always acting in conjunction with gravity to throw said arm or lever 11 down when released, as aforesaid, by the withdrawal of the pin 28 from contact with said levers lug 31.

To convert this dry-pipe system into the wet-pipe system it is only necessary to release the valve-lever 11 from the pin 28, when the lever will fall and open the valve 4. The water will then fill the extinguishing pipes up to the sprinkler devices.

It is obvious that any suitable stop-valve may be placed in the water-supply pipe between the valve 4 and the source of Watersupply, as is commonly done in all main supply-pipes for water or otherfluids to be closed by hand when desired to shut off the water from the automatic extinguishing system, and drip-pipes or bleeders may be inserted in any of the hydraulic parts of the apparatus, as the location of the apparatus and other circumstances may make desirable.

Having thus fully described my said improvement, as of my invention I claim 1. In an automatic fire-extinguishing apparatus, the combination of a water-stop valve, a bent arm pivoted to the stem of said valve, a swinging link pivoted to a fixed point and to said arm, and a latch or catch for engaging said arm and locking the valve closed until the disengagement of said catch therefrom, when the opening of the valve is thereby effected, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In an automatic fire-extinguishing apparatus, the combination of a valve and valvestem, a swinging link and a bent arm connected together so as to form a knee-joint, and an adjusting-pin to regulate the lift of said arm, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In an automatic fire-extinguishing apparatus, the combination of a flexible diaphragm and a diaphragm-plate hermetically secured together, forming a removable hollow disk, a movable pin operated by said diaphragm, and a valve lever or arm provided with a lug or latch to engage said pin, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. In an automatic fire-extinguishing apparatus, the combination, with a valve openin g and closing lever, of a flexible diaphragm and a movable pin located at the back of said diaphragm and operated thereby to engage said valve-lever, and provided with a spring, by whose reaction said pin is caused to disengage said valve-lever, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. In an automatic fire-extinguishing apparatus, the combination, with a valve opening and closing lever, of a flexible diaphragm, a movable pin located at the back of said diaphragm and operated thereby to engage said valve-lever, and a spring-bar or strap, as f, by whose reaction said pin is caused to disengage said valve-lever, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. In an automatic fire-extinguishing apparatus, the combination of a valve opening and closing lever and a closed chamber provided with a flexible diaphragm, and an opposing spring or springs, as 25 26, carrying a pin to engage with a lug or latch on said lever, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

\VM. S. GRAY.

Vitnesscs:

FRANCIS P. REILLY, LAUREN REDFIELD. 

